Jetsettersblog

Singaporeans tired of waiting for taxis which don’t stop for them can now catch one that does, in Sri Lanka at least.

SriLankan Air Taxi, the domestic amphibious floatplane operations of SriLankan Airlines, is giving passengers the opportunity of an exhilarating water landing on the Bentota River with its Weekend Scenic Flights starting from now.

Tickets are priced at just USD 50 (approximately S$81 based on an exchange rate of USD 1: S$1.625) per person. Passengers already in Sri Lanka just need to proceed to the Ratmalana Domestic Airport – just south of Colombo – to take the departure flight to enjoy the unique amphibious aircraft experience.

Flying just a few thousand feet above the ground – far lower than the height that commercial aircraft usually flies – SriLankan Air Taxi embarks on a route that offers breathtaking views of the diverse landscapes of Sri Lanka.

The aircraft first heads south to Kalutara, a resort town located approximately 40km south of Colombo, and then inland where passengers can enjoy a bird’s eye view of the towering Adam’s Peak and the central hills.

The journey continues down the valley of the Kalu Ganga – a popular eco tourism spot for river rafters, canoeists and kayakers – then towards the warm blue waters of the Indian Ocean. After a water landing at Bentota River, which lines sparkling golden beaches and one of Sri Lanka’s most raved about resorts, the flight proceeds back to Ratmalana, cruising northwards along the coast for a picture-postcard view of the South-western coastline.

Flights depart Ratmalana Domestic Airport at regular intervals on Saturdays and Sundays and every trip takes about half an hour. For enquiries, please call SriLankan Air Taxi Hotline 019733-3355, email to airtaxi@srilankan.aero or visit http://www.srilankan.aero/airtaxi

About SriLankan Air Taxi SriLankan Air Taxi, the domestic arm of SriLankan Airlines, has made any part of Sri Lanka accessible within an hour. The amphibious aircraft now operates to 15 locations – Katunayake, Ratmalana, Katukurunda, Bentota, Galle (Koggala), Dickwella, Weerawila, Ampara, Kandy (Victoria Reservoir & Mahaweli River), Nuwara Eliya, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Hingurakgoda and Trincomalee.

SriLankan Air Taxi’s other services include daily scheduled return flights from Colombo to Bentota and Koggala, carrying passengers from Colombo to Bentota in less than half an hour, and on to Koggala in another 40 minutes.

In comparison, a road trip to Bentota can take up to three hours, and four hours to Koggala. About SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines first started its operations as Air Lanka in 1979 with initial management assistance from Singapore Airlines. Its present strategic partner is Emirates, the award-winning international airline of the UAE, which holds a 49% stake in SriLankan Airlines.

The Sri Lanka national carrier has a route network spanning 49 destinations in 28 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Indian sub-continent and Far East, and carries more than 2 million passengers a year to various parts of the globe. SriLankan Airlines won the coveted “Best Airline in South Asia” award at the TTG Travel Awards for the third time in 2005.

The first two wins were in 2004 and 2002. SriLankan Airlines was also named the Best Airline in Central Asia in four consecutive years - 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 - in annual surveys conducted by UK’s SKYTRAX Research. In 2003, the airline was voted Best Airline for Economy Class service in a survey conducted by the popular German magazine Reise and Preise (Travel and Prices).

It had ranked the ninth and fifth best airline in 2001 and 2002 respectively. SriLankan Airlines boasts an all Airbus fleet that is one of the most modern in the region, enabling it to be one of the world’s most “on-time” airlines, with consistent on-time departures. In 2005, SriLankan Airlines clinched the “Airline Turnaround of the Year” award for the year 2004, which was given out by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

SriLankan Airlines’ renowned inflight entertainment programme also won them many accolades over the years. In 2004, it won the coveted “Best Overall Inflight Entertainment” award for an airline with a fleet size of 20 or less aircraft for the second time in a row (the first time in 2003) at the prestigious World Airline Entertainment Association Avion Awards.

It also garnered the “Best Inflight Video Programming – Short Haul” and “Best Inflight Video Programming – Long Haul” awards. In previous years SriLankan Airlines was also successful at the Avion Awards, winning First Runner-Up for Best Inflight Entertainment Guide in 2002 and Second Runner-Up for Best In-flight Entertainment Guide in 2000.

SriLankan was also First Runner Up for Skytrax’s Best Cabin Staff award for 2003 and was also voted by Skytrax as having the Friendliest Cabin Crew in late 2002. SriLankan Airlines, together with its strategic partner Emirates, has a unique frequent flyer programme named Skywards, which offers benefits on several international airlines and service organisations. In 2003, Skywards obtained five Freddie awards (Freddie is the frequent flyer programmes’ equivalent of the Oscars), only three years after its establishment. Skywards’ outstanding performance was repeated in 2005 when it bagged another three Freddie awards.

They are the coveted title of “Programme of the Year”, which honours performance across the full spectrum of services provided by a frequent flyer programme; and “Best Web Site in Asia Pacific” and “Best Member Communications in Asia Pacific”. SriLankan Airlines’ progress in its 27-year history has been due to its philosophy of consistently looking to the future and its drive for excellence - be it on ground or in air.